Illinois Basketball: Illini met with 2022 five-star A.J. Casey
By Zain Bando
The Illinois basketball program met with A.J. Casey Jr. late Wednesday night, as he enters his junior season in November.
The uncommitted five-star junior met with Brad Underwood and the Illinois coaching staff Wednesday night, according to a tweet from Stockrisers’ Jake Weingarten.
Casey plays for Tinley Park High School at the power forward position and has a 6-foot-8, 180-pound frame. He is the No. 1 player in Illinois as part of the 2022 class and is being looked at by Indiana, Louisville, Nebraska, Kansas and DePaul, to name a few.
Late-night scoop: Illinois’ Brad Underwood and staff just virtually met with five-star incoming junior AJ Casey Jr, he told @Stockrisers.
— Jake (@jakeweingarten) August 27, 2020
One of the state’s top-rated players.
The Titans finished 18-12 during the 2019-2020 season, picking up six conference wins, including victories against Blue Island Eisenhower, Uplift, and Bremen.
Casey was a major factor in Tinley Park’s success, as he scored a career-high 34 points in the school’s first-ever holiday tournament title win. The Simeon transfer has made the Titans a contender for years to come, as he quickly became an intriguing prospect as the season progressed.
The Titans would eventually lose in the Class 3A playoffs to Morgan Park after winning their first postseason contest against Chicago Agricultural Science, 55-45.
What would A.J. Casey bring to Champaign?
Casey is an electrifying presence on all ends of the floor. He can score in the paint, has an efficient passing ability, and can carry a team on his back if he has to.
Underwood would allow Casey to fit right in, as he would likely join
and
by the time he arrives in Champaign. All three have had successful high school stints, and with the excitement and anticipation brewing for the Illini basketball program, Casey would be a home run get in 2022.
The Illini improved from 12 wins to 21 wins in 2019, but on the brink of the Big Ten tournament starting the pandemic hit. The team hopes to rebound and finish the rebuild that Underwood was hired in 2017 to complete.
Next. 2022 four-star forward Isaac Traudt attracts Illini interest. dark
Illinois fans should be excited for the future, and hopefully by November, there will be a basketball season of some kind.